Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Pregnant women face racist abuse at NHS trust, inquiry reveals

Nottingham maternity review discovered that women were denied interpreters, ridiculed, and treated harshly.

Pregnant women face racist abuse at NHS trust, inquiry reveals

EXPECTANT mothers at a troubled NHS trust faced racist and discriminatory treatment, including staff mocking their accents and refusing to provide interpreters, the inquiry leader told the Guardian.

Donna Ockenden's team is reviewing over 1,900 families' cases involving stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths, or babies with brain damage at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) as part of the largest inquiry in NHS history.


Ockenden, a senior midwife, reported hearing numerous accounts of racism and mistreatment from both families and staff. Women of Asian origin recounted being mocked for their accents and facial expressions, and a Roma woman described having a sheet thrown at her when she asked for her bed to be changed.

Many women were denied interpreters, impacting their ability to give informed consent for medical procedures. Reports also indicated that women from deprived backgrounds, regardless of race, often had negative experiences with maternity services.

The review, launched in September 2022, follows Ockenden's previous investigation into Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trusts, which revealed 300 babies died or were left brain-damaged due to inadequate care.

The Nottingham review has already referred over 250 individuals for psychological support and referred 70 cases for immediate action.

Families have shared harrowing stories of life-changing injuries, mental health issues, and caring for brain-injured children with little support. Some women have suffered severe physical damage, leaving them in pain and unable to work.

Ockenden reported hearing daily accounts of severe physical harm, mental health issues, broken relationships, and families struggling to care for brain-injured children with minimal support. She noted that many poor outcomes were due to substandard care.

The review covers cases from 2012 and will continue accepting new ones until May 2025, with a final report due in September 2025. Nottinghamshire police have also started a criminal investigation into the trust's maternity care.

Last year, the trust was fined £800,000 for failings in the care of Sarah Andrews and her baby, Wynter, who died shortly after birth in 2019. Another case involved Sarah and Jack Hawkins, who received a £2.8m settlement after their baby, Harriet, was stillborn following a six-day labour in 2016.

Ockenden highlighted recurring issues such as families feeling dismissed, not believed about their labour or pain, and denied admission to the trust. She stressed that these problems could affect maternity services nationwide.

A Department of Health spokesperson acknowledged the issues and committed to improving maternity care, addressing racial disparities, and increasing midwife training.

Anthony May, chief executive of NUH, apologised for the failings and outlined plans to enhance translation services and cultural awareness. He noted that recent inspections and patient feedback indicated improvements, with 98 per cent of patients reporting positive experiences in a recent survey.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less